Long Island town sues over JFK’s low-flying planes as residents soaring mad over jet noise

A Long Island town long rattled by plane traffic in and out of John F. Kennedy Airport is suing for relief as noise complaints soar about low-flying jets.

The town of Hempstead and three residents filed the legal action last week to try to force the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to update maps that outline noise impacts in the area — the first step in alleviating the deafening plane noise.

Town residents and business owners have been “exposed to a daily barrage of noise and vibrations” most strikingly since 2022 when air travel to the Queens airport spiked, according to the lawsuit.

Even though the commotion from the planes has notably jumped in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, including late at night, current Noise Exposure Maps (NEMs) don’t reflect that reality, lawyers for the town argued.

Between April 2024 and April 2025, there have been more than 372,000 noise complaints for JFK Airport – a stark contrast to the more than 142,000 grievances between December 2017 and December 2018, according to the lawsuit.

The map issued by the PA only include a handful of homes in Valley Stream and is based off a modeling scenario, according to the lawsuit.

Town Attorney John Maccarone said in a statement the town is “proud to stand against the overwhelming amount of flyovers” plaguing residents.

“We will continue to explore every avenue in the fight against this unlawful burden on the health and well-being of Town of Hempstead residents,” he said.

Hempstead and North Hempstead filed a lawsuit against the Federal Aviation Administration over similar problems in February, but that legal challenge was later tossed, according to Newsday, which first reported on the new lawsuit.

Maccarone stated the town would request a meeting with the federal agency to avoid further litigation. 

Much of the problems center around Runway 22L, the town argued. While the Port Authority has claimed that the increase in usage for that runway is not a “permanent change,” the data shows otherwise, according to the legal action.

“NEMs are important because they establish applicable noise contours around airports,” the lawsuit explains.

“Properties within application noise contours may be entitled to noise mitigation, including physical alterations to their properties and flight path modifications.”

A representative for the PA said the agency does not comment on pending litigation.